Las Vegas Shooting Leaves Two Police Officers Dead

It happened again. Another shooting, this one in Las Vegas, has claimed the lives of three victims as well as the two shooters who committed suicide. The shooters shot themselves after killing two police officers in a pizzeria and a woman at a nearby Walmart. The motive for killing the police officers seems to be political with one of the shooters yelling “This is the start of a revolution” before the shooting began.

The shooters, a man and a woman in their 20s still as yet to be officially identified, apparently believed they were part of a violent revolution. After shooting the police officers they draped them in the famous Gadsden flag featuring the words “Don’t Tread On Me.” Police also are said to have found swastikas and White Supremacist literature upon their initial investigation of the shooters.

Neighbors described one of the shooters as “militant” and that he talked about “going underground” and killing police officers.

A law enforcement official who has been briefed on the incident said an officer — unconfirmed reports indicate it was Soldo — was refilling a soft drink when the female shooter approached him from behind and shot him in the head, killing him instantly.

The woman then shot the other officer several times as he drew his pistol. Gillespie said the officer was able to return fire but it was unclear if he hit anyone. One officer was reported dead at the scene, while the other died later in surgery at University Medical Center

After killing the officers in the pizzeria the shooters headed to the Walmart across the street where one of them killed a woman inside the front doors of Walmart – if she worked there or was just a random customer is unknown. Police then arrived on the scene and exchanged gunfire with the shooters inside the Walmart. The shooters then took their own lives.

What exactly the shooters were trying to accomplish – if the goal was even rational – is unclear. The male shooter had told a neighbor he was “kicked off Cliven Bundy’s ranch” though the Bundy family said that was unlikely. Given the talk of revolution, the use of the Gadsden flag, and the targeting of police officers one could easily conclude the shooters saw the government as the enemy.

Las Vegas Shooting Leaves Two Police Officers Dead

It happened again. Another shooting, this one in Las Vegas, has claimed the lives of three victims as well as the two shooters who committed suicide. The shooters shot themselves after killing two police officers in a pizzeria and a woman at a nearby Walmart. The motive for killing the police officers seems to be political with one of the shooters yelling “This is the start of a revolution” before the shooting began.

The shooters, a man and a woman in their 20s still as yet to be officially identified, apparently believed they were part of a violent revolution. After shooting the police officers they draped them in the famous Gadsden flag featuring the words “Don’t Tread On Me.” Police also are said to have found swastikas and White Supremacist literature upon their initial investigation of the shooters.

Neighbors described one of the shooters as “militant” and that he talked about “going underground” and killing police officers.

A law enforcement official who has been briefed on the incident said an officer — unconfirmed reports indicate it was Soldo — was refilling a soft drink when the female shooter approached him from behind and shot him in the head, killing him instantly.

The woman then shot the other officer several times as he drew his pistol. Gillespie said the officer was able to return fire but it was unclear if he hit anyone. One officer was reported dead at the scene, while the other died later in surgery at University Medical Center

After killing the officers in the pizzeria the shooters headed to the Walmart across the street where one of them killed a woman inside the front doors of Walmart – if she worked there or was just a random customer is unknown. Police then arrived on the scene and exchanged gunfire with the shooters inside the Walmart. The shooters then took their own lives.

What exactly the shooters were trying to accomplish – if the goal was even rational – is unclear. The male shooter had told a neighbor he was “kicked off Cliven Bundy’s ranch” though the Bundy family said that was unlikely. Given the talk of revolution, the use of the Gadsden flag, and the targeting of police officers one could easily conclude the shooters saw the government as the enemy.

Jane Hamsher

Jane is the founder of Firedoglake.com. Her work has also appeared on the Huffington Post, Alternet and The American Prospect. She’s the author of the best selling book Killer Instinct and has produced such films Natural Born Killers and Permanent Midnight. She lives in Washington DC.Subscribe in a reader